


Catch My Drift

by msraven



Category: Marvel (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drift Compatibility, Fluff, Insecure Clint Barton, M/M, Not a Crossover, Steve Is a Good Bro, Tony Is a Good Bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-23 22:08:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14341941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msraven/pseuds/msraven
Summary: Movies, conversations, and a happy ending.Slight spoilers for Pacific Rim: Uprising





	Catch My Drift

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kultiras](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kultiras/gifts).



> A short piece written as a quick pick-me-up for a friend.

Clint walked into the kitchen and Bucky, mid-conversation with Steve, grabbed his coffee and left the room. Steve looked surprised, but didn't get up to follow his friend. 

Clint sighed and sat on Steve's other side, placing a paper bag in front of him. 

"I got this for Bucky, but I guess you can have it. Better to eat them while they're still warm."

Steve frowned and opened the bag. As the delicious smells emanating from the bag spread through the kitchen, Tony stepped forward and looked over Steve's shoulder into the bag.

"Ooh!" Tony cried. "Bagels. Gonna share?"

Steve dutifully handed Tony a wrapped bagel and he scurried off to the other side of the counter to tear into it.

"These are Bucky's favorite," Steve said.

"Yeah," Clint agreed.

"You bought them for him."

"Yeah."

"But you're not gonna bother trying to give it to him?"

Clint shrugged. "What's the point? I'm not gonna chase him around the Tower."

"What's up with that?" Tony asked through a mouthful of food, motioning toward the door Bucky had walked out of with the remainder of his bagel.

"I don't know." Clint shrugged again. "Bucky's mad at me."

"That part's obvious," Steve said. "Why?"

"I told you, I don't know. He stormed off after we got back from the movie Friday night and has been mad at me ever since."

"You went to see that new Pacific Rim movie, didn't you?" Tony asked.

"Yeah. Bucky likes the Jaegers. We debated a little about the best Jaeger, but I don't think I said anything that would piss Bucky off. It was just a movie."

Steve's brow furrowed and he turned to Tony. "That the one where the two pilots have to link minds to work the giant robots?" Tony nodded and Steve turned back to Clint. "What was it they called the pilots that could work together?"

"Uh..." It took a second for Clint to figure out what Steve was asking. "You mean drift compatible?"

"That's it!"

"Was actually less important in this movie. They trained teenagers as pilots, so they'd become compatible. We both liked the idea better in the first where it was more about the connection you had with the person."

"Ah!" Tony cried out and started to laugh a little. "Finally, one of them gets a clue."

"What? What clue?" Clint asks, but Tony shook his head and Steve brought Clint's attention back to him.

"D'you guys talk about what it'd be like if something like that happened in real life?"

"Sure. It's pretty obvious who'd be drift compatible in the Avengers."

Steve held up a hand to keep Tony from jumping in. "Did Bucky suggest that you two may be drift compatible?"

Clint laughed because the idea was just as hilarious as when Bucky had said it. It took Clint a few moments to realize that neither Steve or Tony were laughing along. Instead, the two had matching pained expressions as they waited for Clint's laughter to subside.

"Did you... Did you react the same way after the movie?" Steve finally asked.

"Well, yeah," Clint answered, looking at Steve in confusion. "Come on, you told me yourself that Bucky was the best at everything he'd ever tried. Top athlete, top of the honor roll, and had a full ride scholarship to college before he joined the Army. I'm just an orphan from Iowa that didn't even go to high school."

"Hey! Don't do that," Tony scolded, always quick to come to the defense of a friend, even it was from theselves. "Not having a formal education doesn't mean you aren't smart. You were a top SHIELD agent--their top strategist--and can keep up with me when I go on a tech binge. You're not allowed to think you're just some dumb hick."

"I've always valued your insight," Steve added.

Clint flushed and looked down at his hands. "Thanks guys, but that still doesn't make me anywhere near Bucky's league."

"You're one of the most intelligent people I've ever met, but damn if you're not a total idiot sometimes."

Clint's head snapped up at Bucky's words. Before he could come up with any kind of response to either the compliment or the insult, Bucky took several strides forward, framed Clint's face with his hands, and kissed him. Clint was smart enough to kiss back.

By the time they parted, several kisses later, Steve and Tony had disappeared from the kitchen. Bucky rested their foreheads together as they caught their breaths and dropped his hands to grip Clint's where they sat on his lap.

"So..." Clint couldn't resist asking after a moment, "Does this mean you want to pilot a Jaeger with me?"

Bucky groaned, but then rewarded Clint with another kiss--probably to shut him up. Clint smirked, still giddy with the knowledge that Bucky wanted someone like him. 

"Want to see how else we're compatible?" He asked with an over-the-top wink.

"Later," Bucky answered seriously and pulled Clint to his feet. "First, I want to take you out for breakfast."

Clint smiled, wide and happy, because he understood what it meant that Bucky wanted to date him and not just fall into bed. Clint had thought he was doing the smart thing by ignoring Bucky's flirting and was happy to be proven wrong. 

"Breakfast sounds great," Clint responded and took the hand Bucky held out toward him.

"Breakfast and then a stop at that toy store on Fifth," Bucky said as they stepped toward the elevator. "I think we owe Steve and Tony a gift."

Clint thought for a moment and then remembered that the store sold stuffed Kaiju. 

"Nice," he grinned and nodded in agreement. "I catch your drift."

Bucky's groan and Clint's laugh echoed throughout the Tower.

~fin~


End file.
